A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures

[By Nic Lindh on Saturday, 24 July 2004]

Caught in the web

Had a bit of an irrigation emergency here at Casa Core Dump–a main irrigation line had sprung a leak and the water pressure was creating a small sink hole in the yard. This was shovel work. And if yard work becomes more than trowel work, it’s time to call a professional. So we called the landscaping company to send somebody out to Set Things Right.

The guy showed up and fixed the leak, which was great. Did a really good job of it, too.

We were chatting while he worked, and I couldn’t help but notice he had a spider web tattoo on his hand, plus other assorted jail embellishments. So as I’ve wondered for a long time why the spider web motif is so prevalent on jail tattoos, this seemed like the guy to ask. According to him, it means you’re caught in the web–that you’re in a bad situation you can’t break out of. Which made a lot of sense. He was talking about how when he was on the inside, he was planning to do his elbows as well, but managed to refrain. “You have a lot of time on your hands in jail,” he said.

Apparently tattooing yourself in jail can get you into a lot of trouble, as you’re “defacing state property.” How bad would you feel about yourself when you’ve become “state property?”